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How Traditional Are Matzo Balls? The unusual history of the kneidel
Known in Yiddish as a
kneidel, the matzo ball has become a staple in many
Ashkenazic Jewish homes. Here's why.
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Why Do Some Put Earth From Israel in the Coffin? Placing some earth from Israel in the coffin helps the soul find some measure of forgiveness and is related to the resurrection of the dead.
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Why Did Mordecai Not Bow to Haman? An in-depth read on the heroic defiance of a Jewish leader
Only one justification is recorded in the Megillah: “Because I am a Jew.” The Sages unpacked what this means.
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Why Does the Jewish Calendar Follow the Moon? Our sages tell us that the Jews count based
on the moon and are compared to the moon.
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Why Read the Megillah Twice? Why do we read the Megillah twice every Purim, once at night
and once during the day?
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Would Judaism Condone Smashing Ancient Figurines? The Torah tells the people of Israel to destroy idols. How about museum pieces that have historical significance?
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Who “Invented” the Holiday on 15 Shevat? When did Tu Bishvat become a thing, and why specifically now?
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Why Is the Firstborn Donkey Holy? On the mitzvah of peter chamor, “redeeming the firstborn donkey”
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Why Write "G‑d" Instead of "G-o-d"? Like many Jewish publishers, we are particular to not spell out the name of
our Creator, even in English. Here’s why.
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Why Is Alexander a Jewish Name? The name
Alexander is unique in that its origin is
definitely not Jewish.
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Can I Use Vaccines Made From Fetal Tissue or Non-Kosher Animals? We will start off with the question of non-kosher ingredients and work our way to vaccine made with fetal tissue.
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Is the Temple Menorah Hidden in the Vatican? There is much controversy and misinformation
surrounding this question, so let’s begin by clarifying the facts of the story.
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Can I Join a Zoom Menorah Lighting? Many of us will be particpating in Zoom Chanukah celebrations this year. Read here what works and what doesn't.
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Can We Add Our Own Jewish Holidays? Chabad.org lists some newer “holidays.” How can we add holidays?
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Did Abraham Really Invent Monotheism? What About the Yeshivah of Shem and Eber?
One doesn’t have
to look hard to find individuals who recognized and served “the
one G‑d.”
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Why Are the Jews Called “People of the Book”? Throughout history,
Jews have been called the “People of the Book” (or “Am HaSefer”) by both Jews and non-Jews.
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Why the Simple Pine Casket? Long ago the wealthy would be buried in expensive materials, and the poor were embarrassed.
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Why Were There Famous Rabbis Called Ishmael? Is Ishmael (Yishmael) a Jewish Name?
Don't
we have a custom not to name a child after a wicked person?
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Why Is the Torah Read at Shabbat Minchah? Ezra also instituted that there be an additional communal reading every Shabbat during the afternoon Minchah service. Here's why . . .
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Why Do Some Letters in the Torah Have ‘Crowns’? Many of the letters are topped by
small spikes, called tagin or ketarim. Here is why.
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Why Circle 7 (or 3) Times on Simchat Torah? The earliest known source for specifically going around seven times is Rabbi
Yitzchak Luria, the Arizal (1534-1572). But he provides no source.
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Why Start Yom Kippur With Kol Nidre? Contrary to what
one may expect, Kol Nidre is neither flowery nor inspiring (at first blush).
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Why No Nuts on Rosh Hashanah? And which nuts are included?
There are different reasons given
for this custom, each impacting the parameters of what (and when) exactly we
refrain from eating.
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Why Are Chassidim Called Chassidim? The term itself predates the Chassidic
movement and seems pretentious and presumptuous, to
say the least.
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Shofar Over the Internet During Elul? I’m
currently unable to attend service. Can I fulfill this custom by listening to
the shofar over Zoom?
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Why Does a Husband Stay Home During the First Year? “When a man takes a
new wife, he shall not go out in the army…”
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Is It OK to Swim on Shabbat? It was scorching hot this past Shabbat, and we were wondering if we were allowed to go swimming in the nearby lake to cool ourselves off. What is the halachah?
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Why Is the Ketubah Written in Aramaic? Why was it originally written in Aramaic, not Hebrew? And why is it still written in that language today?
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Why Was Jerusalem Chosen? How did King David know where to build
the Holy Temple?
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When Were the Walls of Jerusalem Breached? Was it on the 9th or 17th of Tammuz?
According to some, this confusion goes back to the time when
the walls were breached and the Temple was destroyed.
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Why Isn’t Poultry and Dairy Kosher? Contrary to popular misconception, the rabbis were not
afraid that a piece of chicken has the same appearance as a piece of meat
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Saying Psalms According to Your (Loved One's) Age Do not underestimate the power and benefit of reciting psalms in general and, more
specifically, the psalm corresponding to your age.
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Why Sing About Elijah After Shabbat? What is the
connection between Elijah the Prophet and Saturday night?
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Why Only Ten Commandments at Sinai? If there are 613 commandments, why were ten
commandments specifically given at Sinai?
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Why Do We Light Bonfires on Lag BaOmer? The earliest
mention of this custom is found in a letter written by Rabbi Ovadia of
Bertinoro (c. 1445–c. 1515), known for
his classic commentary on the Mishnah.
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Why Does Only Pesach Have a Make-Up Day? Discover the historical and mystical reason why this is the only holiday observance that can be made up one month later.
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Why Is a Minyan Needed for Kaddish? In
this new era of COVID-19, when virtually all synagogues are closed, many are tempted to say the Kaddish even while alone.
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Is Tzaraat Leprosy? According to many historians, the disease known as leprosy did not exist in the Middle East in the times of the Torah.
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When Is a Child ‘Old Enough’ to Fast? There is a persistent myth that children should begin
fasting on the three fasts before their bar/bat mitzvah, no earlier and no
later.
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Do Rabbis Need to Be Married? Historically,
many communities traditionally included in their bylaws that they would only accept married candidates as their
rabbis. Why?
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Make a Shehecheyanu on Fruits Available Year-Round? Guidelines for making the blessing on new fruits
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Why Is 70 Special? And ten instances in Jewish tradition where 70 is significant
It appears several times in the Torah: seventy elders of the Jewish nation, seventy languages and nations of the world, and seventy members of Jacob's family.
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Why Are Grasshoppers (Locusts) Kosher for Some Jews? With the exception of very few and specific communities, we don’t find that
Jews eat locusts—and it doesn’t just have to do with taste.
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Why Lift the Bride and Groom on Chairs at Jewish Weddings? Many of the
great sages in the Talmud would dance and do all sorts of tricks to entertain
the couple.
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Why Did Non-Kosher Animals Become Jewish Names? This seems strange, since the sages place great significance on a
person’s name.
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(Why) Must a Bar Mitzvah Boy Read From the Torah? There is a prevalent custom for boys to read
the weekly Torah portion when they become a bar mitzvah. Here's why.
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Why Give Gifts Every Night of Chanukah? An underlying theme of Chanukah (and Chanukah gelt) is Jewish education.
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What Is a Maggid? From fire and brimstone to the rise of the Chassidic movement
A maggid is a title most commonly held by preachers
who flourished in Poland and Russia during the 17th and 18th centuries, most
notably the Maggid of Mezrich.
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Why and When Did Mourners Start Saying Kaddish Together? In
the past, only one mourner was honored with the task of saying Kaddish, which
makes sense
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